There will be spoilers for the end of BOTW and mild spoilers for TOTK
Please, I just love them both so much and they deserve a break from the constant tragedies and heartache ;-;
Zelda x GN!Reader x Link
• They are so incredibly grateful to have you by their side, both during the nightmare that was the Calamity and now when things have settled
• Perhaps it is the trauma that surrounds the both of them from having lost so much during the Calamity, but they rarely ever leave your side -- they want to make sure you’re really there, that you’re not going to disappear if they blink
• Regardless if you had been apart of the fight 100 years ago --and survived thanks to Purah’s youth serum-- or if you only joined the fight in recent years, they are both so appreciative of all that you have done
• Because of the destruction all across Hyrule, and especially of the castle, it was quickly established that Zelda would be staying with Link
• It doesn’t matter how far you lived before, they would both be very insistent on you living with them in Hateno
• If you didn’t want to leave your previous residence behind, Zelda would enlist in Robbie and Purah’s help in instating a way to quickly travel between the two
• It feels strange for the three of you to have settled into a comfortable homelife after so much death and carnage and ruin --so foreign that the encroaching fear of something shattering the peace lingered constantly-- but slowly but surely you all are learning to enjoy the moments you share
• Link does far more than he should around the house
• House repairs and maintenance, cooking, cleaning, etc.
• He was so used to doing things on his own, and having something to do constantly because of his travels and destiny
• But now that peace has somewhat settled and returned, he feels he has to make up for his lack of work
• You and Zelda do your best to help him, in hopes that you can show him that he isn’t alone anymore
• Zelda’s strong suit doesn’t lie in cooking --she understands the concept but executing it doesn't always end in favorable results-- so she usually takes up cleaning up after meals
• She also loves to do the shopping
• It gives her a chance to get out of the house and actually interact with her people more closely, and it gives her a chance to experience something she would have never if her life in the castle remained
• You do your best to help where you can, either by helping Zelda or Link with their own chores or filling the gaps that still need to be filled
• Mending clothes in one such chore you’ve designated yourself
• How many pieces of clothing did Link obtain that were covered in cuts and tears?
• How many times did Zelda or Link nick their clothes when it snagged on something?
• Healing was another big task you’d taken upon yourself
• Link doesn’t even notice half of the minor injuries he gets anymore, so he’s grateful when you see them and help him tend to them
• They love to give you small gifts, usually things they find while traveling across Hyrule
• They want you to know that they’re always thinking of you
• The two are far more touch starved than they would like to admit
• They just want to feel you close to them, it helps solidify that you’re really there for them, that this isn’t all just in their head
• Gardening has become one of her main hobbies, and she invites you to join her often
• Although she mostly grows various flowers and medicinal herbs --for your potions-- she has picked up a few tips on growing vegetables from the Hateno locals
• Despite how all other attempts at domesticating the Silent Princess have failed, she has managed to successfully grow 3 that have sprouted intertwined
• She views this as a sign that the three of you are meant to be together, because of the legend about swearing your love on one
• She loves to take you on her excursions across Hyrule during the restoration process
• Especially when visiting the various stables and helping to take care of all the different creatures across the land
• She named a Dondon after you ;-;
• She loves to go out riding with you across Hyrule, it gives her an excuse to take in the scenery you
• The children of Hateno ask about you constantly, expressing that they’d wish you’d visit more whenever Zelda stopped by to teach
• If she has just fallen asleep or is in between being asleep and awake, she is a light sleeper
• But the second she’s out like a light, she sleeps like the dead
• It's actually kind of terrifying
• Her nightmares are not as frequent as Link’s, but she has a much more difficult time waking from them
• You’ll have to call out to her and shake her awake to free her from her own tormented thoughts
• She’s unable to get a word out over her hiccupy sobs, and she just clings to you until she’s able to calm herself down
• She is so incredibly grateful of you helping her through these moments, and she does her best to make it up to you the next morning
• She is a morning person and enjoys getting out to see the sunrise whenever she can
• Her affections are far shyer than Link’s
• This is mostly due to her upbringing, where she was supposed to refrain from expressing too much lest she give enemies something to use against her
• But she’s learning, slowly but surely, that it doesn’t have to be that way
• Because she wants to express herself, especially when it comes to her feelings of you
• Her favorite thing to do is to link pinkies together, it’s a way for her to know you’re right beside her no matter what you two are facing
• If you have it, she loves to play with your hair, no matter how long or short it may be
• She would love it if you played with her hair too, braiding and styling it how you please
• It gives her such a comfort, and she could fall asleep in your arms from how soothing it is
• She loves to read to you, even if you have no idea what she is talking about
• She just gets so excited about her findings on anything and everything and wants to share it with you as soon as possible
• On the days where Link doesn’t have anything to do, he’ll follow you around as you do your daily routine
• Your presence is enough to put him at ease, and it’s enough to remind him that you’re really here, that you’re not going to up and disappear
• His affections are much more subtle than Zelda’s, although they are not as shy as hers
• Gentle touches on your shoulder or against the small of your back, grabbing your hand and intertwining your fingers, leaning down to press feathery kisses to the crown of your head
• He isn’t the best with words, so he puts all of his love and affection into his actions to show you how much he cherishes you
• He is so touched by how gently you treat him when you are treating his wounds
• The way your fingers ghost across his scars and how you utter such comforting whispers as you clean him up
• He recalls how kindly Mipha used to treat him and the others during the time of the Calamity, and he’s so incredibly grateful that someone else treats him with the same gentleness and humanity
• He can thrive off only a few hours of sleep, but there are days where he’s so exhausted that he can sleep through an entire day if given the chance
• It doesn’t matter if you were a fighter or not during the time of the Calamity, he’s going to teach you to fight
• He just wants you to be able to defend yourself should something ever happen, and there are days where he has to leave to help fight off any remaining monsters that linger across Hyrule so he wants you to be able to stay behind and keep things safe
• One of his all time favorite things to do with you is to go out riding horses
• It feels so freeing, just to be out in an open stretch of field and to be racing as fast as possible, feeling the wind whip through your hair and across your skin
• His memories may be scattered due to having been asleep for 100 years, but that doesn’t stop the nightmares from tearing through his mind every night
• He is such a light sleeper, both due to his rigorous training as a royal knight and because of his own anxiety and paranoia of being attacked at any moment
• He tries so hard not to wake you or Zelda on his worst nights, and he tries to slip out as quietly as he can to try and destress
• His main way of working through the stress and panic is training
• He has been known to work himself to near exhaustion just trying to chase his demons away
• If you do wake during the night and find him out training, sit with him
• He may not open up about his nightmares, at least not right away, but having your presence is enough to still his racing thoughts for even a moment
• There are nights where he can’t handle it all alone, the stress and pain and fear catching up to him all at once
• Those are the nights where he craves your presence the most, just to hold you and cry into your shoulder and allow himself a moment of vulnerability with one of the few who he trusts so dearly
